Norwegian consortium acclaims offshore charging tests as a success

The latest series of tests of the system, which took place in port and offshore, demonstrated the Ocean Charger system works and can be used to connect vessels to the grid in an offshore windfarm, so that vessels can charge their batteries.

The tests were conducted using Rem Offshore’s vessel Rem Power and demonstrated a vessel can be successfully and safely connected and disconnected to an offshore power source.

The Ocean Charger concept was developed to enable battery-powered offshore vessels to be charged while offshore, enabling them to operate as low or zero-emissions vessels and operate without using any additional energy sources.

Rem Offshore chief executive Ronny Pål Kvalsvik said, “It is extremely important for us to be part of the Ocean Charger project. We have demonstrated what we said for years was possible. We can prove to the market this is do-able. 

“With a strong consortium of industry and research partners, Vard has led the way from research to testing, validation and commercialisation of new solutions for energy transfer to battery-powered ships offshore.”

Mr Kvalsvik told the 2024 Annual Offshore Wind Journal Conference it is the company’s firm belief that by far the best way to decarbonise offshore wind vessels is to design vessels around batteries, rather than use alternative fuels.

Vard Group vice president research and innovation Håvard Vollset Lien said, “The Ocean Charger project and the ability to charge vessels offshore is a central enabler for us as shipbuilders to deliver zero-emissions ships to the offshore wind industry.”

The partners in the project included Vard Design and sister companies Seaonics and Vard Electro; Rem Offshore; Solstad Offshore; SINTEF Energi; SINTEF Ocean; DigiCat; Sustainable Energy; Equinor; Source Galileo Norge; Corvus Energy; Plug; Shoreline; the Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster; University of Bergen; NORCE; and Maritime CleanTech.